Vistas Online 2012

VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.

2012

Culture-Centered Pediatric Counseling Interventions for Young Children

Traditionally, it has been stated that the developmental and preventative assumptions in counseling are defining aspects of the profession and aid in differentiating counseling from other helping professions (Ginter, 1991; Hershenson & Strein, 1991; Kiselica & Look, 1993; Matthews & Skowron, 2004; Myers & Sweeney, 2008). Over the past 30 years, counseling scholars have employed these ideals in research investigations to focus on various client issues, such as eating disorders (Choate & Schwitzer, 2009), suicide (Roswarski & Dunn, 2009), and high risk families (Hogue, Liddle, Becker, & Johnson-Leckrone, 2002). A search for empirical studies in counselor education journals produced by divisions and special interest groups within the American Counseling Association over the past two decades yielded less than ten articles with a focus on direct clinical intervention and prevention with young children (ages 0 to 5 years), especially those from culturally diverse families. Using the pedagogy of counseling as a framework (Nelson & Neufeldt, 1998), the authors articulate an approach to counseling young children they refer to as pediatric counseling. The authors articulate a rationale for the application of core counseling principles to conceptualize, prevent, and intervene when posed with obstacles to young children’s healthy development in the first years of life. Recommendations for counselor training are provided as well as suggestions for future research to advance this body of knowledge.